This important meeting is part of the strong momentum that the Sahara issue is witnessing and which has resulted over the past few months in more support for the Moroccan identity of the Sahara and for the autonomy proposal presented by the Kingdom, said the minister during a press conference with his Gabonese counterpart Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nzen, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Consulate General of the Republic of Gabon in Laayoune.

He added that this meeting, which will discuss the various aspects of cooperation between the Kingdom and the Pacific countries, "is the beginning of the implementation of this diplomatic reality" marked by the opening of several consulates of foreign countries in Laayoune and Dakhla. The Gabonese consulate is indeed the third diplomatic representation opened in Laayoune after the Honorary Consulate of Côte d'Ivoire, which opened last June, and the Consulate General of the Union of the Comoros, which started offering its services in December.

The city of Dakhla also hosts the consulates general of The Gambia and Guinea. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad announced last December that the city of Laayoune will experience "intense" diplomatic action in the coming months, by hosting several important diplomatic activities. In addition to the meeting of the foreign ministers of Morocco and the Pacific countries, Bourita said that Laayoune will host several meetings of joint commissions between the Kingdom and some foreign countries.